Someday
by babesrus2
Summary: A Christmas One-Shot. Babe HEA.


_Thanks to Janet Evanovich who allows us to use her wonderful characters._ _All mistakes are mine alone but I plead guilty to possibly over-indulging in Christmas goodies as I type._

SOMEDAY

It was Christmas Eve and Stephanie was sitting in her apartment with an assortment of small white cartons of food in front of her on the coffee table.

The lights on her Christmas tree twinkled in the living room. Throwing flecks of light here and there on her walls, her somewhat dingy apartment looked a little less tired in the soft light. She had positioned her tree by the living room window and looking out, she noted that it had just begun to snow. Who wouldn't like a nice white blanket of snow for Christmas?

Finishing her noodles and cashew chicken, she pushed the box containing the steamed vegetables that Ranger liked to the side. Ranger may not be here but by having his favorite handy made her feel a bit better. She missed him and was wondering where he was eating supper tonight.

Locating her fortune cookie hidden in the corner of the take out bag, she mused what mushy saying would be printed on the little piece of paper tonight. In her opinion, Confucius would never have stooped to messages in cookies.

Cracking the cookie apart she pulled out the little piece of paper. Instead of the usual white slip, this one was printed in gold letters on a red background.

Squinting at it by the faint light of the Christmas tree lights she read:

' _Are you sharing this meal with the one you love_?'

Stephanie looked at the words and sighed.

There was nobody sharing this meal with her.

Joe had finally gotten the message that their relationship would never move forward and he had moved on, and out of her life.

Her Mom and Dad had decided that with their advancing ages and medical maladies, the Burg was now too cold and had relocated to Florida for the winter months.

Her beloved Grandma Mazur was on a holiday bus trip touring casinos.

Valerie, Albert and their children had left a few days ago to celebrate Hanukkah with his mother and then were continuing on to visit Mom and Dad for the rest of the Christmas holiday.

Ranger, well Ranger had been away for over two weeks, travelling to his satellite offices for his quarterly inspections. He had called every day, but had expressed some doubt when he would be back in town.

She had literally moved back to her apartment when he left since she did not want to take advantage of his generosity and his apartment while he was away. While she had been living in the apartment on seven for the past few months with Ranger, her independent spirit had kicked in and feeling uncomfortable about living there without him, she had tossed most of her clothes into her laundry basket and drove her latest POS car back to her apartment building, parking in her usual spot by the dumpster.

Over the past number of months, a few of her neighbors had moved, and one had passed on. There were new faces now as she went back and forth during the day. Her lease was coming up soon and she had a decision to make. Should she sign for a new lease, or not.

Mary Lou had offered her a place to stay and share the holiday but Stephanie had gently refused her kind offer. While she loved ML and her family, it was a special time for them and she didn't want to intrude.

A few days ago, Stephanie had put up and decorated her tree. Ripping off the packing tape holding the top of the box closed, she flipped it onto its side and pulled all the pieces of the artificial tree out onto the rug. She sorted the various branches in piles. Then, matching the appropriate symbols, she plugged them into the green stick acting as the trunk in the small tree stand, gradually building the structure until her tree stood complete and ready to decorate. She folded out the branches and spread out the smaller appendages. Pricking her finger a time or two, and trying not to curse since it was Christmas, she vowed that for sure this year the tree was being recycled when the holiday season ended. Next year she was getting one that was pre-lit and the branches already attached and hinged together, dropping down and into place when stood upright.

She had upgraded the lights over the years from the standard blue, green, red and yellow strings, to yellow candle lights that bubbled in the glass wicks when warm. Now she was using the LED strings so available, but in a throw-back to another decade, she continued to add a string of red Christmas bells. Turned on by its own switch, it played snippets of Christmas songs and the tiny lights twinkled to the beat. Laying the strings in straight lines on the rug, one by one she plugged each string into the wall socket, ensuring that they worked properly before threading them into the branches.

The string with the bells she always put at the bottom of the tree.

She had taken her time decorating, picking up and remembering the story on every little ornament.

First out of the storage tote was a wooden box. Lifting the hinged lid, safely nestled in each tiny compartment was a sheep, a baby angel, a star, and a tiny donkey. Her Grandpa Harry had made the box and the delicate contents inside. She was staying over one weekend and had followed Grandpa Harry out to his workshop. She had 'helped' him, watching as he sanded the tiny figures until they were smooth. Standing on a small stool she was tall enough to see how his hands had brushed over each little ornament looking for a burr here or a rough spot there. She had noticed how his whole demeanor had changed, and how much it looked like he had enjoyed working on the project. As he sanded, he told her stories of helping his dad working with wood, carving and sanding. Taking her small hand in his, he had lightly run it over the wood, showing her that this or that was still rough, and how it felt when it was finally ready for the next step.

She remembered asking him who he was making them for. He had told her that they were for someone special and near and dear to his heart. She looked at the ornaments sitting near the box and thought it would be a special present for Grandma Edna, knowing how much he loved her and how lucky they were to be so in love.

Imagine her surprise on Christmas morning, taking the present addressed to her from her grandpa, ripping off the fancy wrapping paper and finding the box with all the ornaments inside. She had been nine that year. She treasured that present and even after her Grandpa had passed many years ago, Stephanie had always remembered the special memory of that year.

Stephanie pulled the tote container closer. She reached in and pulled out an ornament wrapped in tissue paper.

Last year her Grandma Edna had given her a tree ornament of a Santa, congratulating her after finally capturing a skip she had trouble bringing in. Instead of the traditional jolly old man in his red coat, he was wearing a Speedo swimsuit and sitting on a beach chair with a drink in his hand. She gleefully admitted she had purchased it on one of her bus trips down south and it had made her laugh. Her grandma had a unique sense of humor.

Inside the tote was an old shoe-box. Stephanie reached in and flipping off the top, she saw a number of snowflakes, all tumbled together.

Mary-Lou and she had first exchanged ornaments in Grade 4 and the tradition had continued right through high school. Some were small but over the years they had become larger and more elaborate. Each one had a piece of tape on the back with the year they were given. They all came with memories of eating ice cream as they exchanged the presents. Mary Lou loved snowflakes and Stephanie was the lucky recipient of one each year from her best friend.

Next out of the tote was a shopping bag from Macy's. It was tucked in a corner and sealed with tape.

Lula and Connie had given her a number of tree ornaments after their annual Christmas party at the bond office. They were rather pornographic in nature, and while given with gales of laughter, she waited until Val and family had left before putting them on the tree.

Last, but not least, the angel. Standing on her tippy toes she placed it with care at the very top, balancing it and ensuring that it was neither leaning nor in danger of falling off entirely. The angel who was dressed in a white robe had one hand clutching an olive branch and the other stretched outward portraying love and welcome from her lofty perch.

~~~o0o~~~

Stephanie sat on her lumpy couch looking at the tree and noticed something was different.

Putting down her cookie, she stood up and walked toward the tree. There, way in the back was a very shiny Christmas ball. Reaching in, she pulled it out.

She held the ball in one hand. It was a very shiny black but there was no glitter or fancy patterns on it. As she turned it around, she glimpsed a word printed in yellow gold: Someday.

Ranger had mentioned so many times that there was a Someday in his world but with nothing else to go on, she had pretty much resigned herself that this Someday was a myth, a maybe, a faint possibility.

She looked back where she had been eating her meal. It was not her usual spot to sit on the couch since it had become a bit worn and uncomfortable. Her preferred spot was piled with magazines and with her arms full of food, well, it had seemed the easiest course of action tonight.

She looked at the ball and wondered. How long had it been there? She didn't think Ranger was in town. When she had spoken to Tank earlier today, he had shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.

"No idea when the boss is coming back, Little Girl. He's never taken this long to do quarterlies before. Maybe he's running into some issues and hasn't seen fit to advise me yet."

Tank had stomped off to look after something needing his attention.

Her neck suddenly tingled and she put her hand back to rub the spot. She had always known when Ranger was near.

The lock turned and the door opened.

Ranger stood in the entranceway not dressed in his usual RangeMan uniform, but in gray dress pants and a dark blue sweater.

He lifted his arms to grab her as she literally flew to him and jumped into his arms, putting her arms around his neck, and bending his head down for a kiss.

"Ranger, I missed you so much!"

The words were tumbling out of her mouth so fast she was almost running them all together.

Suddenly she let go and held the ball in front of Rangers' face.

"How did this get in my tree?"

Ranger smiled his 200 watt smile and hugged her to him again.

"It's Christmas Babe and magical things happen."

She looked at the ball again and then at Ranger whispering.

"It says Someday. You've been saying that word to me for a long time."

Ranger looked at the Christmas ball that Stephanie was holding out. He let her slide out of his embrace and stepped back just a little. Taking her right hand in his, he spoke.

"Babe, as you know I spent the last few weeks checking out our satellite offices. I have always enjoyed getting out of Trenton now and then and seeing how the other offices run. This time, I couldn't help but notice how much I wanted to rush my inspections and get back. Sitting in my offices and apartments I came to the conclusion pretty quickly how much I missed you. I've always loved being with you or knowing you are working in the building and just a quick phone call or a walk to see you. I love hearing how your day is going or has gone and your feelings on different matters important to you. I can bounce off ideas and your way of looking at a situation has been refreshing as much as out of the box and timely. Eating my meals alone I realized how much I missed watching you eat and the enjoyment you get from that food.

My phone calls to you did relieve my mind that you were safe, but I wanted to be the one making sure you were safe. There's a saying that loneliness is everything it's cracked up to be."

He paused.

"As lonely as my days were, I missed you at night the most. I felt myself waking up during the nights and reaching out to you, finding only a cold and empty spot beside me. I found myself hugging the pillow beside me to myself and wishing you were that pillow in my arms."

He paused as if to collect his thoughts once again.

"I sent my papers for retiring from Special Projects back in October but I had to wait 60 days for them to be finally processed. Even last week they were still contacting me trying to entice me to stay longer, but I was adamant that I was done. I wanted a life where I could be free to make some plans for the future that didn't include a last minute call-out. I wanted a life where I could be near you as much as you would allow me to be. I just returned from signing the final papers. Even at the last moment they tried to bribe me with more money, better teams, even my pick of assignments, but I held firm, Babe."

He reached behind him and pulled an envelope out from the back of his dress pants.

"It's official Babe. I'm done. I'm free to live my life without dreading that phone call sending me away."

Stephanie took the envelope in one hand and still holding her ball, she carefully lifted the flap, pulling out the sheets, and quickly glancing over the official–looking papers.

All she could say was, "Oh, Ranger."

He cleared his throat as if nervous, spoke again.

"I know how you like your independence and I'm not trying to cage you in, but…"

He dropped to one knee and pulled a little box out of his right pants pocket. Opening it, he held it out.

"Babe, Stephanie, I want our Someday to start today. Would you do me the honor of saying yes to becoming my wife, to have and to hold, this day forward, for better or worse, in sickness or in health?"

Stephanie had one hand holding the black ball and the other still holding the papers as tears ran down her cheeks. Ranger stood up and gently with his thumb, he wiped away the streaks.

"Happy tears, Babe?"

She nodded her head and looked at him.

"You mean our Someday is about to become Everyday if I say yes? Yes, Ranger, yes with all my heart."

He took the Christmas ball out of her left hand and the envelope out of her right, putting them on the small table by the door. Plucking the ring out of the box and reaching out, taking her left hand in his, he slid the ring on her fourth finger. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed from the tips of her fingers up to her wrist.

Ranger looked like he was going to keep kissing up her arm but stopped and pulling her to him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her gently on the lips.

"Please call me Carlos. Ranger is my work name."

Stephanie began to kiss his cheek, his mouth, the other cheek, and back to his lips.

"Carlos, I love that name."

She stopped and then a frown came over her face.

"What happened to the rest of the vow, 'for the rest of our days as long as we both shall live?"

Carlos looked down at the love of his life now cradled in his arms.

"That's pretty old-fashioned Babe. What happens when I get old and creaky and you don't want to live with me anymore?'

Stephanie put her head on his chest and whispered.

"You are my life."

They stood there holding each other and swaying to the music.

She looked up. "I was so lonely tonight I ordered in. I'd hoped that you might be here and ordered the steamed veggies I know you like, pretending that you were sharing the meal with me. What's really strange is the fortune cookie. Instead of the little white sheet inside, mine was red and the lettering was gold. I looked at it and it said 'Are you sharing this meal with the one you love'. That is so strange."

Carlos looked down at her.

"Babe, I had Chinese last night in Washington."

He reached down and putting his right hand in his pocket, he pulled out a little red piece of paper. He turned the writing toward her and watched her face.

It read. " _Are you sharing this meal with the one you love_?"

Stephanie looked from the slip to Ranger and back.

"Wow. That Confucius guy was pretty smart."

Ranger chuckled. "I'm not sure it was Confucius, Babe."

Ranger placed his slip of paper on the table beside the other slip of paper.

She looked down. "I'm framing those."

Ranger nodded his agreement and once more they embraced, tenderly kissing each other, and slowly swaying to the music.

The tiny string of bells played through one song, then another and another before they stepped back.

Ranger looked at his fiancée.

"So, Babe, did you want to set a date and go somewhere warm? Did you want to go away and then get married at a later date?"

Stephanie stood with her bottom lip caught gently between her teeth.

"It's barely winter and I'm already chilled to the bone. Can you take time off after Christmas and we could go somewhere and have a small ceremony? I don't want the circus like my wedding ceremony with the Dick, but I would like a few friends there."

He didn't really want the big splashy ceremony and had suspected that his babe didn't either.

"Before I left, Tank and I talked about covering the office over the holidays. He wants to stick around then take off sometime later, so if we want to go away, it's OK."

He smirked at her. "We could go back to that couples resort in Hawaii."

He laughed as she swatted his chest with her hand. The diamond ring scraped on his sweater and they both looked down.

"Oh, Carlos, I forgot. Did I hurt you?"

He hugged her to him again.

"Pain and pleasure, Babe, pain and pleasure. But, you need to pay for that, and I feel like collecting right now."

Stephanie looked up. "Be gentle, Carlos. I'm a woman in a new relationship."

Carlos's eyes changed. Scooping her up, he headed for the bedroom. He kicked the door closed with his foot and tenderly laid her on the bed.

"What time did you want to leave for Midnight Mass?"

Stephanie looked at her man leaning over her and cupping his face, she kissed him on the lips.

"If we miss it tonight, we can always go tomorrow morning. I want to give thanks for my very special Christmas present."

Ranger nodded. "Excellent idea, Babe. Then if you want to, we can go to the Newark party at my parents' place."

He did a little frown and Stephanie reached up to massage the worry line on his forehead.

"You don't want your family to see me?"

Carlos shook his head. "Nothing like that Babe. When they see that ring, I won't get near you for the rest of the party. My mom and sisters will want to keep you for themselves and I will have to kidnap you to get you back."

Stephanie laughed. "Bring it on, Carlos."

Ranger hugged her to him again, as he put a knee on the bed.

Merry Christmas, Babe."

 _A/N – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate._

 _Myrna_


End file.
